WASHINGTON (September 3, 2016)— Today, President Obama and President Xi of China jointly announced that the United States and China have formally joined the Paris Agreement on climate change, marking a significant step forward. Adrianna Quintero, Executive Director of Voces Verdes issued the following statement praising the agreement as “an important step forward that others must follow.”

“Last December in Paris, history was made when almost 200 countries agreed to take action to tackle the pollution that causes climate change and limit its worst impacts. For the millions of people around the world who are already facing the impacts of climate change, learning the world is committed to take action was a message of hope.

Today’s announcement marks an important step towards setting that agreement in motion when the United States and China—two of the biggest emitters of carbon pollution worldwide--officially joined the Paris Agreement bringing the total number countries that have ratified the agreement to 25. More than 55 Parties need to ratify for the agreement to formally take effect.

Our world needs this type of global commitment to tackle the challenges we face due to our rapidly changingclimate. For Latinos here in the U.S. and the millions in Latin America and across the globe, this agreement exemplifies what can be achieved through cooperation and leadership. Climate change affects us all but for those living in Latin America and the Caribbean, climate change poses immediate and elevated threats that are only worsened by limited government resources for adaptation and crisis-response. While countries in Latin America are already taking important steps, this agreement goes further to address the climate change and the prevent worsening extreme heat events, severe droughts, loss of the Andean glaciers, more powerful storms and hurricanes, and serious coastal sea level rise. Impacts that will affect the poor and vulnerable most harshly.

Voces praises today’s announcement as an important step forward and we call on other countries to follow suit and stand by their commitments to support climate action.”